Synopses & Reviews
From bestselling author, Donna Hill comes an evocative, unforgettable novel about love, friendship, marriage, adultery...
"You'll find out soon enough. So I may as well say it now. I slept with my best friend's husband. There is no explanation. Not a real one, anyway, not one that people will accept, especially people who know me. . .But I want to tell my side. . .Just hear me out. . ."
Asha and Lisa have been best friends since grade school and they have always shared everything. A beautiful and accomplished photographer, Asha never seems to lack excitement or a man to share it with. Yet, for a woman who appears to have it all there is always "that something" she needs to make her feel whole. . .worthy.
Lisa, "the good girl," has always dreamed of the perfect marriage to the perfect husband. Now she has both with Ross Davis and she has their future planned to the last, perfect detail.
Ross didn't want to believe that he and Lisa had married too soon. He didn't want to believe that each day the man he thought himself to be was being stripped away by the woman he loved--leaving him feeling like a kept man instead of the man of the house.
And then--betrayal. No one knows how it happened, how they could have done this to each other. But now, they each want to tell their side of the story.
As Asha, Lisa and Ross travel down the road to discovery, you will root for them, hurt for them, hate them and love them. But you will never forget them.
An Ordinary Woman is about the betrayal of the most sacred of trusts. It is about the that one moment when a single choice will change lives forever. It is a cautionary tale that dares to look deep inside the hearts and minds of the characters involved. Most importantly, An Ordinary Woman attempts to answer the question: How?
About the Author
Donna Hill has seventeen published novels to her credit and has been featured in
Essence, The Daily News, USA Today, Today's Black Woman, and
Black Enterprise among many others. She has appeared on numerous radio and television station across the country and her work has appeared on several bestseller lists. She works full time as a Public Relations Associate for the Queens Borough Public Library system, and organizes author-centered events and workshops through her promotions and management company Imagenoveau.org. Donna lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.
Reading Group Guide
1. Although Lisa appeared weak and vulnerable, she was actually strong and manipulative at times. How did she demonstrate these traits?
2. Do you consider Lisa to be a victim? Why or why not?
3. Why was it so difficult for Asha to commit herself to anyone? What were the circumstances in her life which prevented a commitment?
4. How did Ashas relationship with her mother impact her life and her decisions? Why was she afraid to love Vincent?
5. Do you think that there was an underlying jealousy between Asha and Lisa? If so, what was the cause of it?
6. Ross was defined by his beliefs in the roles of men and women. How did his beliefs and his own family background contribute to the demise of his relationship with Lisa?
7. What really drew Lisa and Ross together? What did each gain from the relationship?
8. Had the affair between Asha and Ross not happened, do you really believe his marriage to Lisa would have survived? Why or why not?
9. Who was your favorite character? Your least favorite? Why?
10. Could you forgive infidelity and continue in your own marriage?
11. What elements in Asha, Ross, and Lisas lives contributed to the betrayal?
12. What lesson did Mrs. Holder teach her daughter?
13. In the end, how did Ross, Asha, and Lisa grow and evolve as people?
14. What was the real theme of An Ordinary Woman—choices and consequences or betrayal?